St. Landry democrat., 1887-09-03

other necessary outhouses, but stand
alone on the green sward sometimes
lessened in beauty by a too gorgeous dis
play Of flower BEDS as if to rid the mind
of any hint Of the work and machinery
| by which the luxurious life their inmates
lead is supported Sometimes these
necessary outbuildings are pOcketed
| out of sight behind groves Of trees, but
! oftener they are built far from the man
| sions. You see no hint of anything but
| luxury, rest, comfort and pleasure on
! this noble Ocean-side path. Great as the
houses are in size, they seem little
mounds of masonry on the vast spread
ing lawns. Every step along this far eX-
tended cliff promenade reveals the eX-
penditure of care, taste and wealth, and
not in England or the palace grounds OF
older Egypt is anything more complete,
more substantial or luxurious to be seen
, You wonder, as you walk freely over
the edge of one opulent estate after
! another, at the noble generosity which
! has prompted these Newport landlords
to share even in SO small degree their
comforts with the people, but you
needn't thank them. You walk over
their grounds because they cannot pre-
vent YOUR doing so. By an ancient pro
vincial statute of Rhode Island the
coast of the whole State is made for
ever a free highway. The people
originally maintained existence prin-
cipally by fishing, and they needed
the unObstructed right 10 patrol
the shores. This right is theirs and
yours to-day, and whether you are at the
cliff at Newport or anywhere else III
Rhode Island you may freely promenade
BY the edge of the sea. Little use is
made of the water by the land-olders
on the cliff, beyond the enjoyment of the
grand prospect it affords You see an
occasional boat-house here and there,
but mainly the bold and rocky wall re-
mains as nature left it, a perpetual battle
ground for the angry sea and frowning
land. The open bay beyond is favorite
meeting and resting place for the yachts
of the New York and other Eastern
clubs, and when the blue surface is
dotted with their shapely hulls or
SKINNED by their huge white wings this
scene attracts even those who are most
familiar with the place.
Besides the mansions | have men
toned, Newport contains the summer
homes of Edwin Booth, Ross Winans,
Professor Agassiz, and the heirs Of
Charlotte Cushman, as well as the
homes of all the fashionable New
Workers, particularly Of the old knicker-
booker class. Newport is the married
wOmans summer paradise. The wives
of the residents manage the amusement>
of the place and rule the routine of life
there Young girls and bachelors are
plenty, and doubtless have much to
divert them, but the mammas are the
queens of the regal seaside city. Though
the ocean dashes against Newport
on its many sides, bathing is what
the ultra fashionable rulers of the
place call de trop--that is, it is not the
correct thing. Not much of the beach
is supplied with the inclined sandy or
pebbly sand necessary for this sport, but
there is little arc of bathing beach not
very far from the village and it is rather
slenderly appointed with lighthouses.
In spite of the social Indictment of this
exhilarating exercise, some people insist
on sporting in the surf, but they are
either young, or merely hotel guests, or
they are among those who defy the con
ventionalities. The consequence is that
though the pillows are Just as cooling
hilarious romps as swimmers find to bat
tie with anywhere on the coast, there is
such an absence of crowds. of pictur-
esque surf costumes and of enthusiasm
in the sport that few ever think of in
Guiding bathing among the attractions
of the place.
The visitor in Newport need not antic-
pate being put to great expense. In all